France’s Gael Monfils, seeking his first ATP crown outside Europe, and Ivo Karlovic, nearing titles in consecutive weeks at age 37, advanced to the ATP and WTA Washington Open final in sweltering conditions Saturday.
The 29-year-old Frenchman, whose most recent of five career titles came in 2014 at Montpellier, ripped 19-year-old German Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-0 in one hour.
“It was difficult conditions,” Monfils said. “It was very warm. It was very difficult to keep the ball in. I changed up the pace a little bit and it was tougher for him to handle it.”
Croatia’s 35th-ranked Karlovic, fired 14 aces to defeat US fifth seed Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-4 in a match where temperatures on the court reached 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 Celsius).
“It was really hot,” Karlovic said. “There was this moment when I just wanted to lay down on the court. But I kept going. It was difficult.”
Monfils has split four career ATP matches against Karlovic, winning their most recent meeting at Madrid in 2011 but losing their only prior hardcourt matchup in 2009 at Cincinnati.
“There’s only one Ivo,” Monfils said. “You only get one shot. Sometimes you only have one opportunity so you have to make the passing shot and then stick with the serve.”
Karlovic, who averaged 22 aces in his first three wins at the US capital, has not surrendered a service break this week.
“This is my game. This is my strength,” Karlovic said. “It is really working this week.”
Karlovic won his seventh career ATP title last week on Newport grass to become the oldest tour singles champion since 1979.
“I’m confident from winning last week,” Karlovic said. “In my old age, it’s good when you can meet your goals still.”
Zverev smacked a forehand long to surrender the first set, which was halted briefly at the midpoint by rain, and Monfils rolled from there, improving to 3-0 against the world number 27.
Monfils, who seeks his first outdoor crown since Sopot in 2005, is 5-19 in ATP finals, including a 2011 loss at Washington to Radek Stepanek.
Belgian seventh seed Yanina Wickmayer, a 2009 US Open semi-finalist, battled through the heat to oust Kazakh sixth seed Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-2.
“It was very tough conditions out there,” said Wickmayer, who seeks her fifth WTA title Sunday against either America’s 122nd-ranked Lauren Davis or 173rd-rated American Jessica Pegula.
Karlovic broke in the third game and took the first set in 38 minutes, ending it like the second with back-to-back aces.
Johnson, ranked a career-best 25th, sent a backhand wide to squader a break point in the second game of the second set and in the next game, Karlovic rocketed a service return forehand winner past Johnson and then dropped a slice backhand winner on the line to break for a 2-1 lead.
“I tried to be as aggressive as I could and it paid off,” Karlovic said. “In all the crucial moments I was able to make a good shot.”
Karlovic faced two break points in the fourth game but answered with three aces and a service winner to hold and kept Johnson at bay with his serve from there.
“It was definitely frustrating,” said Johnson, who won his first ATP title last month at Nottingham.
Gstaad: Spain’s Feliciano Lopez claimed his first clay-court title yesterday with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Dutchman Robin Haase in the final in Gstaad.
Top seed Lopez, who finished runner-up in Switzerland 10 years ago, broke Haase’s serve in the fifth game as he took the opening set and then fought back from 3-0 down in the second to wrap up a fifth ATP Tour title.
For Haase, the world number 95, it was a second finals defeat in four years in Gstaad having lost the 2013 title decider to Mikhail Youzhny.